Monday, March 17, 2008

In 1768, when Admiral Louis de Bougainville(a French navigator and military commander) began his long journey to the Pacific Ocean and discovered the vine that now bears his name, it was the botanical highlight of the voyage.

Through the ensuing years, this Brazilian beauty has assumed its rightful place as one of the most popular, spectacular and beautiful tropical plants.

16 comments:

Wow, thats a beautiful picture, with the blue sky....I am from the isand of Bougainville in the Pacific, we have several types of colors, shades and shapes of this type of flower...its nice for borders and safe too (thorns)..keep it up .. :)

Yes, our sincere thanks are addressed to de Bougainville for having found this nice plant, to the pleasure of us all! I must put a flower on his grave again November 1 (at the famous Paris graveyard open for public only one day per year)!

I love the composition of this photograph - just the right amount of plant to the water. Fabulous! thanks for the link which made v interesting reading. Love the colour of this particular bougainvillea. He'll never be forgotten with such a plant named after him, not to mention an island.

Re your fish story yesterday, every time I watch a scene like this one I think there is no God, or he's not allmighty, or he's not all Goodness. How can we see as beautiful a world where fish are swallowed alive and slowly die in the birds' digestive systems? This is such a cruel death. Yet it's the way it is...

my salutes to Admiral Louis de Bougainville for sailing from Naples Florida through mississssipppi texas, sailing through the deserts of Arizona, california to reach the pacific coast, a truly great Admiral.

Do you hug these flowers Izzidee ?they look thorny to me. i think they have no smell.

May soft gentle breezes brush o'er your face,For each loving touch is God's warm embrace.May you have enough for all that you need,And never be hurt by another one's greed.The Lord keep you safe from terrible things,And at the end of this life, lift you up on His wings.

i had no idea they were named after an admiral........the last thing i'd associate with an admiral is a flower..........i love them too ....i love the variety of colors they come in and also coz they remind me of India :)beautiful spring colors here Isabella...it's still winters in these parts while my friends in Florida just finsished their Spring break!!!!

Yeah - I love Bougainvillea, too.But I prefer it out of it's tropical environment.When we were kids we used to drive past old country houses in the bush with bougainvillea climbing all over a tank stand or shed. They were usually the only patch of bright colour in the landscape.

Welcome to Paradise!

Naples, on the Gulf Coast of Florida - the only subtropical area in the contiguous United States.
Year-round sunshine, white sandy beaches, championship golf courses (and the most millionaires per square mile in the world!).
So come, take a dip, the water's temperature is a constant 74°F. But please, DO NOT FEED THE ALLIGATORS!!!